Many plumbing fixtures include a spout that is mounted on a deck or wall, wherein the spout interfaces with a tube or shank extending through the deck or wall for connection to water supply pipes on the other side of the deck or the wall. A thickness through which the tube or shank must extend to reach the water supply pipes and still provide a suitable interface or mount for the spout often varies among different decks and walls. As a result, a conventional tube or shank for mounting a spout must be cut down to a required length once the installation thickness is determined. Cutting the tube or shank during installation of a plumbing fixture, however, gives rise to numerous drawbacks. For example, cutting the tube or shank is a relatively time consuming process which may need to be repeated for each plumbing fixture being installed. As another example, cutting the tube or shank requires that an installer carry a tool suitable for cutting the tube or shank. As yet another example, cutting the tube or shank is generally an irreversible process, which can render the tube or shank unusable for a given installation thickness.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for a spout tube or shank that can be quickly sized to a needed length without cutting the tube or shank.